Coupling device



.l. W. LANDYMORE AND J. M. HARR|SON.

COUPLING DEVlCE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 31. 1911.

1,359,391, Pafented Nov. 16, 1920.

+ JHMES W. LHNDYMORE JosEPH M. HHRFusoN UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES WILLIAM LANDYMORE, OF WEST NEWTON, PENNSYLVANIA, AND JOSEPH M. HARRISON, OF CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND.

COUPLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 16 1920 Application filed October 31, 1917. Serial No. 199.551.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES WV. LANDY- MORE and JOSEPH M. HARRISON, citizens of the United States, residing at lVest Newton, in the county of-WVestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, and Cumberland, in the county of Allegany and State of Maryland, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coupling Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to'the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved coupling device and has for its primary ob ject to provide a simply and durably con "structed and easily adjustable device for coupling a locomotive and tender.

It is a primary object of our invention to provide a coupling device which will effectively eliminate lost motion, and thereby obviate the possibility of breakage of the coupling pins and the disconnection of the locomotive and tender.

It is another and more particular object of our invention to provide an adjustable screw coupling device for the purpose above stated whereby all slack or lost motion may be taken up, and the use of wedges as commonly employed in connection with such couplers dispensed with.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the improved combination and arrangement of the several parts to be hereinafter more fully described and subsequently pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views;

Figure l is a side elevation of our improved coupler;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the coupling yokes.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates the coupling bar or rod which is provided at opposite sides of its center with right and left hand screw threads respectively, as shown at 6, said threads extending through the extremities of the rod.

Each of the coupling yokes 7 is in the form of an elongated metal block having a central opening 8. One end of the coupling member is provided with a threaded bore or opening 9 to receive one of the threaded ends of the coupling rod 5. The other end of each yoke member 7 is provided with a transversely extending opening 10 which is adapted to receive the usual king pin for connecting the coupling head to the end of the draw bar.

As illustrated, the rod 5 is centrally provided with a transverse opening to loosely receive the rod 11 whereby the coupling'rod or screw may be conveniently rotated. It

is, however, to be understood that the center portion of this. screw may be of an enlarged polygonal form for the application of a suitable wrench thereto, or other convenient means may be employed for permitting of the easy rotation of the screw.

In the use of our invention, it will be understood that the coupling heads are connected by king pins to the locomotive and tender. respectively, with the ends of the screw or rod 5 threaded into the bores 9 0f the respective heads. In the common coupling means between the locomotive and tender now in general use, a plain iron bar is used and this coupling bar is tightened at 1ts ends by the use of king pins and wedges. Such wedges quickly wear and become loosened, and in many cases it is not possible to properly adjust the wedges so as to completely take up the lost motion between the ends of the coupling bar and the engine frame casting, as the pin holding the wedge frequently breaks and allows the wedge to slip. It will be at once seen that by means of our invention this difficulty is overcome, and all lost motion or frictional wear may be taken up simply by rotating the screw 5 to draw the coupling heads toward each other. The coupling head 7 may then be securely locked on the ends of the screw by means of the nuts indicated at 12 which are threaded upon the screw and are adapted to be adjusted into tight frictional engagement with the cou ling heads at opposite ends of the bore 9. y thus eliminating lost motion, the sudden jar or jerk occasioned upon the starting of the locomotive, is obviated so that inconvenience and possible injury to the train crew or passengers is avoided. When the tender is disposed in advance of the locomotive, in rounding a curve in the track, lost motion in the coupling connection between the tender and locomotive is liable-to cause a derailment with possible serious injury and loss of life. The possibility of such derailment of the train will be completely obviated by the use of our invention. The adjustment of the threaded coupling screw can be easily and V quickly made by one man. The device as a whole, is of very simple construction and 'may obviously be produced at small manufacturing cost.

7 Letters Patent is:

In a coupling device, the combination with a pair of axially alined coupling heads of elongated form, said heads having their remote end portions provided with openings for the reception of coupling pins, the adjacent end portions of the coupling heads having axially alined threaded openings, of

V a coupling rod having its end portions provided with right and left threads engaging the threads of the axially alined openings, thereby coupling the-heads, means engaging the right; and left threads of the coupling rod, and adapted to be turned home in contact with the adjacent extremities of the coupling heads, nuts engaging the outer extremities of the right and left threaded ends of the coupling rod and being tightened against portions of the heads opposite the adjacent ends thereof, said nuts having a plurality of diametrically opposite flat faces, said coupling heads having enlarged openings extending between the extremities of the heads having the coupling pin receiving opening and where the nuts are engaged with the heads, to receive a wrench, whereby its jaws may enga e the flat faces of the nuts for adjusting tliem, and manual means carried by the rod for rotating the rod when the nuts and the first means are loosened, said heads being capable of swinging or oscillating in the bearings of the couplers of two adjacent cars.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES WILLIAM LANDYMORE.

JOSEPH Fll. HARRISON. Witnesses:

JOHN G. GOEHRING, CHAS. E. DILGES. 

